Wow, what a day! We were up around 6 a.m., so Hubbie could get ready to go to a Master Gardener plant sale at 7:30, where he was scheduled to be on duty. There was a thunderstorm with drenching rain shortly before he left the house, but it eased around 8 a.m.
Mother and I took advantage of the break in the rain to go to the sale. We picked up a variety of plants. Mother bought herbs and coleus, and I bought several tomato plants with interesting names...Mexico, Striped German, Hillbilly, Early Wonder, First Prize, Bella Rosa, Giant Belgium, and Aunt Ruby Green. The MG who was selling the plants is experimenting with trying out new varieties, and he described each one to me. It'll be fun seeing if they succeed in our garden.
When we left there, we went to a coffeehouse to use coupons from Caring Hands Hospice. The coupons were buy-one-get-one-free. Mother ordered cafe au lait with caramel, and I ordered mocha coffee. We got them "to go" and took them to the fairgrounds, so I could give one to Hubbie. Mother and I enjoyed two of them, and we brought the other one home for Mother to enjoy later this evening.
After that, we went to a clothing and gift shop to see if we could use a 20% off coupon. The shop was closed. So we came back home. We weren't here long before another thunderstorm cropped up. Naturally, Shih Tzu had to to go out just then, so I got wet and so did she.
I towel dried us both when we came back inside, and then Mother and I planned next week's menu. While we were doing this, Hubbie called to say he would be staying at the fairgrounds until 1 p.m. He joined the other MG's in having pizza for lunch. I didn't mention to him that we were having bagel pizzas for supper.
Mother and I had leftover chicken noodle soup for lunch, and then we planned next week's menu.
When Hubbie came home, he said there was a lower turnout at the plant sale this year, thanks to the weather. So one of the MGs has agreed to hold a plant sale in her yard next weekend in hopes of selling more of the many leftover plants. But guess what, rain is predicted again for next weekend!
Soon after Hubbie got home, we ran errands...to the pharmacy, and to the WDCS for groceries. We were back home about 3:30. I decided to call our favorite computer store to see if I could get another laptop cooler, because the one I have is making strange, loud noises like it is about to die. Unfortunately, the computer store was closed. So I'll have to live with my old cooler until at least Monday.
Mother and I enjoyed the bagel pizzas and salad for supper. Hubbie dutifully ate his, but probably would have preferred something else. Mother went home after supper, and Hubbie and I watched the movie, "W." This 2008 movie, rated PG-13, stars Josh Brolin. It follows George W. Bush's ascendancy to the presidency, moving back and forth between his rather wild youth , and his first term in White House leading up to the Iraq war.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Friday, April 23, 2010
Friday, April 23
Up at 6:30 again, for the last day of the photography residency at a local school.
We left home around 7:30, so we could drop by a donut shop before going to the school. Mother and I had coupons for free donuts and milk, given to us by the Caring Hands Hospice coordinator, and I wanted to pick them up today. We thought we'd be given regular glazed donuts, but we were told we could have our choice of any of the pastries. So Hubbie chose a bear claw and I chose a cinnamon roll. Both are very large, and Hubbie will eat both, since they are not on Mother's and my diet. He'll also drink the cartons of two-percent milk.
We arrived at school around 8 a.m., and I went immediately to the darkroom to make positive prints from the oatmeal box pinhole negatives. I completed that project, and was able to clean up the darkroom before classes started. Then Hubbie loaded everything into the van.
Today, the students in all the classes went outdoors to use the oatmeal box viewfinders. These never cease to fascinate students. With all the advanced technology they are used to, it amazes me that they love such low-tech devices.
After they used the viewfinders, we went back to the classroom and discussed how pinhole cameras, viewfinders, sophisticated cameras, and human eyes "see" things. This was new information to these third and fifth-graders, so they soaked it up.
Then the students mounted their sunprints on poster board, and decorated their pictures. Finally, we looked at the photos they had taken with the 35mm one-time-use cameras, and discussed the good shots, as well as what they could do to improve their photography.
There were lots of good photos, but one girl is especially talented. She carefully sought out different angles and compositions, unlike many of the students, who used the monkey-see-monkey-do approach. I told her that she should do a lot more photography. She has a good eye.
Toward the end of the last class, which were third-graders, one of the students went to their regular classroom and came back squealing excitedly. It seemed that the hamster in their room had just had a litter. Needless to say, there was a mad rush to the classroom. Even teachers from other classrooms rushed in to see the new babies. Hubbie and I were no exception. We were curious about the new arrivals, too.
We had a successful week, despite a few interesting things that happened, like the water hose escapade in the darkroom yesterday, the girl that upchucked Monday, and the spider that crawled out of one of the oatmeal box pinhole cameras Tuesday, causing the girls at that table to squeal and jump away, while one of the brave boys smashed the critter with his hand.
Nice things that happened included little girls presenting us with tiny bouquets of dandelions and other small flowers, tied with bright plastic ribbons (strands of the tails of kites they'd flown last week), and lots of hugs. You know you are accepted when you get hugs and wildflower bouquets.
We got back home around 3:30. Shortly afterward, Mother and I went to a little shop that sells Jelly Belly jelly beans to use a 20% off coupon from Caring Hands Hospice to buy two half pound bags of the candy. Mother bought an assortment, and I bought the black licorice.
Funny: in the shop, the lady at the counter asked Mother what she wanted. We waited for her to answer. She didn't. She seemed dumbfounded.
"What do you want?" I coaxed.
"For God's sake, help me," she said.
"She wants a half-pound assortment of Jelly Belly's," I said, "and I want a half-pound of licorice."
In the car, I said, "I hope that's what you wanted."
"Yes," she said.
"Why didn't you tell the lady, then?"
"I couldn't think of it, and I didn't know what to say," she laughed.
Back home, we put together a supper of Ziplock bag omelets, potato pancakes, and toast. While we were preparing the meal, predicted thunderstorms cropped up. It got very dark outside, and there came a downpour that flooded the front porch and yard. Fortunately, there was no power outage, and we were able to get the meal on the table.
Mother stayed at our house for a while after supper, because it continued to rain hard. After a while, it eased, and I walked her to her house. Then Hubbie and I watched a TV debate among three political candidates vying for senatorial seats. We finished the evening with a couple of one-hour shows.
We left home around 7:30, so we could drop by a donut shop before going to the school. Mother and I had coupons for free donuts and milk, given to us by the Caring Hands Hospice coordinator, and I wanted to pick them up today. We thought we'd be given regular glazed donuts, but we were told we could have our choice of any of the pastries. So Hubbie chose a bear claw and I chose a cinnamon roll. Both are very large, and Hubbie will eat both, since they are not on Mother's and my diet. He'll also drink the cartons of two-percent milk.
We arrived at school around 8 a.m., and I went immediately to the darkroom to make positive prints from the oatmeal box pinhole negatives. I completed that project, and was able to clean up the darkroom before classes started. Then Hubbie loaded everything into the van.
Today, the students in all the classes went outdoors to use the oatmeal box viewfinders. These never cease to fascinate students. With all the advanced technology they are used to, it amazes me that they love such low-tech devices.
After they used the viewfinders, we went back to the classroom and discussed how pinhole cameras, viewfinders, sophisticated cameras, and human eyes "see" things. This was new information to these third and fifth-graders, so they soaked it up.
Then the students mounted their sunprints on poster board, and decorated their pictures. Finally, we looked at the photos they had taken with the 35mm one-time-use cameras, and discussed the good shots, as well as what they could do to improve their photography.
There were lots of good photos, but one girl is especially talented. She carefully sought out different angles and compositions, unlike many of the students, who used the monkey-see-monkey-do approach. I told her that she should do a lot more photography. She has a good eye.
Toward the end of the last class, which were third-graders, one of the students went to their regular classroom and came back squealing excitedly. It seemed that the hamster in their room had just had a litter. Needless to say, there was a mad rush to the classroom. Even teachers from other classrooms rushed in to see the new babies. Hubbie and I were no exception. We were curious about the new arrivals, too.
We had a successful week, despite a few interesting things that happened, like the water hose escapade in the darkroom yesterday, the girl that upchucked Monday, and the spider that crawled out of one of the oatmeal box pinhole cameras Tuesday, causing the girls at that table to squeal and jump away, while one of the brave boys smashed the critter with his hand.
Nice things that happened included little girls presenting us with tiny bouquets of dandelions and other small flowers, tied with bright plastic ribbons (strands of the tails of kites they'd flown last week), and lots of hugs. You know you are accepted when you get hugs and wildflower bouquets.
We got back home around 3:30. Shortly afterward, Mother and I went to a little shop that sells Jelly Belly jelly beans to use a 20% off coupon from Caring Hands Hospice to buy two half pound bags of the candy. Mother bought an assortment, and I bought the black licorice.
Funny: in the shop, the lady at the counter asked Mother what she wanted. We waited for her to answer. She didn't. She seemed dumbfounded.
"What do you want?" I coaxed.
"For God's sake, help me," she said.
"She wants a half-pound assortment of Jelly Belly's," I said, "and I want a half-pound of licorice."
In the car, I said, "I hope that's what you wanted."
"Yes," she said.
"Why didn't you tell the lady, then?"
"I couldn't think of it, and I didn't know what to say," she laughed.
Back home, we put together a supper of Ziplock bag omelets, potato pancakes, and toast. While we were preparing the meal, predicted thunderstorms cropped up. It got very dark outside, and there came a downpour that flooded the front porch and yard. Fortunately, there was no power outage, and we were able to get the meal on the table.
Mother stayed at our house for a while after supper, because it continued to rain hard. After a while, it eased, and I walked her to her house. Then Hubbie and I watched a TV debate among three political candidates vying for senatorial seats. We finished the evening with a couple of one-hour shows.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Thursday, April 22
Up at 6:30, and at the school by 8 a.m., so I could load photo paper into oatmeal box pinhole cameras, and mix fresh chemicals.
Of course, I operate under the principle of Murphy's Law, which says that if anything can go wrong, it will. So at a deep sink, with a black hose wound around the facet fixtures, I turned the water on to fill a tray. Suddenly, the water gushed out and forcefully hit the side of the sink. I must have had a wimpy grasp of the hose, because like a balloon deflating, it whipped this way and that, first dousing me, then watering down the room.
Hubbie arrived just as I got the water turned off, shook his head, and began mopping up with paper towels. We got things dried (except for me) just in time for class to begin.
Other than that, things went smoothly. The third grade classes did pinhole photography, and the fifth grade classes made negative images from their sunprints in the darkroom. While some students were in the darkroom, Hubbie helped others construct large oatmeal box viewfinders. These are similar to pinhole cameras, except that no photo paper film is used. Instead, students look through a poster board tube to view scenes in reverse projected onto wax paper or plastic lid screens on the boxes.
Between the morning classes and the afternoon classes, I loaded the oatmeal boxes again for the second third-grade class. I was able to get this task done before lunch, thankfully.
Funny: one of the fifth-grade students, a boy, was in the darkroom to do a reverse print. After we'd used the enlarger, I handed his sunprint back to him.
"Wow," he said, "everything's backwards on it."
"No," I said, "that's not your reverse print. That's your sunprint. Your reverse print hasn't been developed yet."
"Oh, sorry." he said. "I was having another blond moment." He has blond hair.
Funny number two: as I was working in the darkroom, a girl handed me a note from the arts council director. "Nathan said to give this to the teacher. When I asked him which one, he said the old one." No doubt in her mind who that must be.
Things went well in the afternoon, and we finished up around 3:30. We stopped by the one-hour service to pick up snapshots before coming home. At home, I changed into my hospice volunteer t-shirt, and Mother and I went to town to pick up free gifts with coupons we got in the mail from the hospice coordinator. This is volunteer week, and businesses are giving gifts or discounts to volunteers.
We stopped by the Hallmark store and another, new, gift store. We were given candles at both. we'll try to use other coupons tomorrow.
At home, we had chicken noodle soup and oatmeal muffins for supper. Mother went home after that, and Hubbie ran errands while I went through the snapshots the students did. Tomorrow, we'll talk about the good things they did, and how they can improve.
Later, we watched TV...a couple of Hallmark Movie Channel features. We started with a movie called "Healing Hands," about a custodian at a school, who has an accident, and then afterward has the power to heal people.
The second movie was, "Uncorked." A female business executive is dating someone who is a distracted, cold fish. She is sent to wine country, where she meets a handsome widower.
Note: it appears Hubbie has developed a head cold. Drat.
Of course, I operate under the principle of Murphy's Law, which says that if anything can go wrong, it will. So at a deep sink, with a black hose wound around the facet fixtures, I turned the water on to fill a tray. Suddenly, the water gushed out and forcefully hit the side of the sink. I must have had a wimpy grasp of the hose, because like a balloon deflating, it whipped this way and that, first dousing me, then watering down the room.
Hubbie arrived just as I got the water turned off, shook his head, and began mopping up with paper towels. We got things dried (except for me) just in time for class to begin.
Other than that, things went smoothly. The third grade classes did pinhole photography, and the fifth grade classes made negative images from their sunprints in the darkroom. While some students were in the darkroom, Hubbie helped others construct large oatmeal box viewfinders. These are similar to pinhole cameras, except that no photo paper film is used. Instead, students look through a poster board tube to view scenes in reverse projected onto wax paper or plastic lid screens on the boxes.
Between the morning classes and the afternoon classes, I loaded the oatmeal boxes again for the second third-grade class. I was able to get this task done before lunch, thankfully.
Funny: one of the fifth-grade students, a boy, was in the darkroom to do a reverse print. After we'd used the enlarger, I handed his sunprint back to him.
"Wow," he said, "everything's backwards on it."
"No," I said, "that's not your reverse print. That's your sunprint. Your reverse print hasn't been developed yet."
"Oh, sorry." he said. "I was having another blond moment." He has blond hair.
Funny number two: as I was working in the darkroom, a girl handed me a note from the arts council director. "Nathan said to give this to the teacher. When I asked him which one, he said the old one." No doubt in her mind who that must be.
Things went well in the afternoon, and we finished up around 3:30. We stopped by the one-hour service to pick up snapshots before coming home. At home, I changed into my hospice volunteer t-shirt, and Mother and I went to town to pick up free gifts with coupons we got in the mail from the hospice coordinator. This is volunteer week, and businesses are giving gifts or discounts to volunteers.
We stopped by the Hallmark store and another, new, gift store. We were given candles at both. we'll try to use other coupons tomorrow.
At home, we had chicken noodle soup and oatmeal muffins for supper. Mother went home after that, and Hubbie ran errands while I went through the snapshots the students did. Tomorrow, we'll talk about the good things they did, and how they can improve.
Later, we watched TV...a couple of Hallmark Movie Channel features. We started with a movie called "Healing Hands," about a custodian at a school, who has an accident, and then afterward has the power to heal people.
The second movie was, "Uncorked." A female business executive is dating someone who is a distracted, cold fish. She is sent to wine country, where she meets a handsome widower.
Note: it appears Hubbie has developed a head cold. Drat.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Wednesday, April 21
Up at 6:30, and arrived at the school around 8 a.m., so I could set up the darkroom. While I was setting it up, I noticed that I could see light coming in around the door. So I fetched Hubbie who used black poster board and tape to frame the door. I used two large, black garbage bags to block the light at the bottom of the door.
The third grade class met at 9:20, and we all went outdoors to shoot pictures on the playground with 35mm one-time-use cameras.
The second class worked with oatmeal box pinhole cameras. Three students at a time met me in the darkroom to load photography paper into the boxes. These kids are at just the right age to love being scared, and the darkroom, with it's eerie red light brought out the boogity-boos in them. "I feel a spider crawling on me!" "That red light makes your face look like it's bleeding." "It's like a cave in here." "What if we get locked in here all night!"
After all the student's cameras were loaded, Hubbie took the class outdoors to do timed exposures, while I waited in the darkroom. The reason I don't out with the students is because it's difficult for my eyes to adjust to the darkroom after I've been in the sun. Even with a safe light on, it takes too long for me to see adequately enough to develop the images from the cameras.
We had assigned a time to each student for when to open and close their camera. It's a new world every time we work with pinhole cameras...even with educated guesses, the proper exposure time is always a crap shoot. This morning, we overestimated the number of seconds it would take to get a good image, so most of the photos were overexposed. But we did get a few reasonable shots...enough to convince the kids that pictures can be taken without sophisticated optics.
Following this class, we came home for lunch. But first, we dropped by the one-hour service to drop off the cameras the third-graders used this morning. The photos from yesterday had been developed, so we paid for those and brought them home.
The afternoon classes were a repeat of the morning ones. This time, we reduced the exposure time to the cameras and got a few more decent shots. The last class was third-graders, who went out to use 35mm one-time-use cameras.
After school, we went by the one-hour service to drop off the last batch of cameras, and pick up the ones developed today. Then we went to the office supply store to get the black and white poster boards we'd ordered.
At home, I looked at all the snapshots, and arranged them according to the ones I like best, so I can discuss them with the students on Friday.
Some students did a great job of following instructions in completing the assignment, while others ignored the plan and just shot pictures of each other. One fifth-grade girl did an outstanding job, and I plan to mention to her that she needs to do more photography. She really has an eye for it. It's always a pleasure to run into a student like this, who does the work for the joy of it. I think she's bound to become a camera bug.
Supper tonight was leftover Spanish rice, with fresh tomatoes topped with cottage cheese. Mother went home afterward, and Hubbie and I cut part of the white poster board into 8x10 pieces for students to use in mounting their sunprints.
Later, we watched two movies....the first one was "Patricia Cornwell's, The Front," from the Lifetime Movie Channel. Andy McDowell stars in this movie. A Boston District Attorney (McDowell), needs publicity and orders a detective to re-open a homicide case.
The second movie was "The Mothman Prophesies," a 2002, PG-13, feature starring Richard Gere. A man and his wife are about to buy a house, when they get in an auto accident. The wife dies from her injuries, but not before she leaves a notebook full of drawing of moth-like entities. The wife thought she saw one fly at the car, which is what caused her to lose control of the car. The husband saw nothing, but we the viewers get a brief glimpse of it. Two years later, the husband, a reporter, goes to Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where folks claim to have "seen something."
The third grade class met at 9:20, and we all went outdoors to shoot pictures on the playground with 35mm one-time-use cameras.
The second class worked with oatmeal box pinhole cameras. Three students at a time met me in the darkroom to load photography paper into the boxes. These kids are at just the right age to love being scared, and the darkroom, with it's eerie red light brought out the boogity-boos in them. "I feel a spider crawling on me!" "That red light makes your face look like it's bleeding." "It's like a cave in here." "What if we get locked in here all night!"
After all the student's cameras were loaded, Hubbie took the class outdoors to do timed exposures, while I waited in the darkroom. The reason I don't out with the students is because it's difficult for my eyes to adjust to the darkroom after I've been in the sun. Even with a safe light on, it takes too long for me to see adequately enough to develop the images from the cameras.
We had assigned a time to each student for when to open and close their camera. It's a new world every time we work with pinhole cameras...even with educated guesses, the proper exposure time is always a crap shoot. This morning, we overestimated the number of seconds it would take to get a good image, so most of the photos were overexposed. But we did get a few reasonable shots...enough to convince the kids that pictures can be taken without sophisticated optics.
Following this class, we came home for lunch. But first, we dropped by the one-hour service to drop off the cameras the third-graders used this morning. The photos from yesterday had been developed, so we paid for those and brought them home.
The afternoon classes were a repeat of the morning ones. This time, we reduced the exposure time to the cameras and got a few more decent shots. The last class was third-graders, who went out to use 35mm one-time-use cameras.
After school, we went by the one-hour service to drop off the last batch of cameras, and pick up the ones developed today. Then we went to the office supply store to get the black and white poster boards we'd ordered.
At home, I looked at all the snapshots, and arranged them according to the ones I like best, so I can discuss them with the students on Friday.
Some students did a great job of following instructions in completing the assignment, while others ignored the plan and just shot pictures of each other. One fifth-grade girl did an outstanding job, and I plan to mention to her that she needs to do more photography. She really has an eye for it. It's always a pleasure to run into a student like this, who does the work for the joy of it. I think she's bound to become a camera bug.
Supper tonight was leftover Spanish rice, with fresh tomatoes topped with cottage cheese. Mother went home afterward, and Hubbie and I cut part of the white poster board into 8x10 pieces for students to use in mounting their sunprints.
Later, we watched two movies....the first one was "Patricia Cornwell's, The Front," from the Lifetime Movie Channel. Andy McDowell stars in this movie. A Boston District Attorney (McDowell), needs publicity and orders a detective to re-open a homicide case.
The second movie was "The Mothman Prophesies," a 2002, PG-13, feature starring Richard Gere. A man and his wife are about to buy a house, when they get in an auto accident. The wife dies from her injuries, but not before she leaves a notebook full of drawing of moth-like entities. The wife thought she saw one fly at the car, which is what caused her to lose control of the car. The husband saw nothing, but we the viewers get a brief glimpse of it. Two years later, the husband, a reporter, goes to Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where folks claim to have "seen something."
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Tuesday, April 20
Up at 6:30 this morning to be ready to go to the area school for a photography workshop. At around 8 a.m., I heard a noise that sounded something like the muffled thud of a vehicle door shutting. Mother later said that she heard it, too. It was a sonic boom from the Shuttle Discovery as it passed over the state. TV weather forecasters had alerted us last night that we might hear this.
We arrived at the school around 9 a.m., and started to park in the same spot we did yesterday. But today, an elderly maintenance man on a riding mower frowned at us and indicated with hand signals that we should move to another spot. Seems we're always displeasing the maintenance guys.
It was a beautiful day for going outside to the playground for a photo safari. Fifty-one fifth-graders in two classes were issued individual one-time-use cameras for taking pictures of the shapes and angles of the playground equipment.
On the way to the playground, the girl who upchucked yesterday apologized to me for the mishap. I assured her it was okay, that we are not in control of those things.
This is a particularly nice big playground with lots of interesting equipment, like large painted tractor tires, wooden bridges, and climbing structures, along with the usual swings, slides, and monkey bars.
Unfortunately, during the second session this afternoon, after a few students had finished using their cameras and were playing on the swings, one of the girls came crying to the teacher. She had been knocked to the ground after being hit in the back of the head with a swing. The teacher walked her to the nurse's station, while I stayed with the class.
In the afternoon class, there is a learning disabled male student. The rest of the class is very protective of this student and willing to help him any way they can. Today, one of the other boys partnered with him to help him with the photography assignment. When they were finished, he played basketball with the boy, letting him win their game.
The disabled student is very loving and likes to hug, which is just fine with me. But the teacher remarked that there is a class of behavior-problem children at the school, in what is called a "Success Program." The program is designed to help these children mainstream back into regular classes. The children have behavior problems for a variety of reasons....abuse, broken homes, etc.
One day the disabled student hugged one of the behavior-problem kids on the playground. It broke his heart when the child called him a "retard." Well, the disabled student's classmates quickly let that child know that they wouldn't tolerate anyone treating their friend that way.
The teacher related a sad story of one of the behavior-problem children, whose father had abandoned his mother when he was a baby. Within an 18-month time span recently, the boy's grandfather died, then his mother died in a house fire, and his brother drowned. He is now being raised by his grandmother. It's no wonder this child has behavior problems!
The third-grade classes today saw the "How to Take Better Pictures" video. It's a good video that appeals to children and has a lot of helpful information about taking pictures. I don't know how much the kids gained from the video, but I noticed the teachers were furiously taking notes.
During the lunch hour, Hubbie and I delivered the cameras from the morning session to the one-hour service at the pharmacy store, thinking they could get started working on them. But when we took the second batch to the store after school, we learned that a staff member had called in sick, so the work didn't get done. However a couple of staff were to work on them this evening.
After delivering the cameras to the pharmacy this afternoon, we went to an office supply store to buy both black and white poster boards for upcoming projects at the school. I asked if the school could provide poster board, but the teacher thought there might only be white, and she wasn't sure how much of that was available.
We were back home around 4 p.m. Later, we had a supper of boiled chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and English peas. Mother went home afterward, and Hubbie and I watched TV, including the movie, "Too Late to Say Goodbye." The movie, rated PG-14, is based on a book by Ann Rule, and is the true story of murder and betrayal. It's a 2009 Lifetime Movie Channel feature starring Rob Lowe, whose character, Bart Corbin, a dentist, is suspected of a double homicide (his wife, and a former girlfriend).
After that, we watched this week's second episode of "Dancing with the Stars,"followed by an episode of "Lost."
Note: we were a bit taken aback yesterday when someone in the school administrative office announced over the loudspeaker that the teachers were to meet in the "liberry" after school.
We arrived at the school around 9 a.m., and started to park in the same spot we did yesterday. But today, an elderly maintenance man on a riding mower frowned at us and indicated with hand signals that we should move to another spot. Seems we're always displeasing the maintenance guys.
It was a beautiful day for going outside to the playground for a photo safari. Fifty-one fifth-graders in two classes were issued individual one-time-use cameras for taking pictures of the shapes and angles of the playground equipment.
On the way to the playground, the girl who upchucked yesterday apologized to me for the mishap. I assured her it was okay, that we are not in control of those things.
This is a particularly nice big playground with lots of interesting equipment, like large painted tractor tires, wooden bridges, and climbing structures, along with the usual swings, slides, and monkey bars.
Unfortunately, during the second session this afternoon, after a few students had finished using their cameras and were playing on the swings, one of the girls came crying to the teacher. She had been knocked to the ground after being hit in the back of the head with a swing. The teacher walked her to the nurse's station, while I stayed with the class.
In the afternoon class, there is a learning disabled male student. The rest of the class is very protective of this student and willing to help him any way they can. Today, one of the other boys partnered with him to help him with the photography assignment. When they were finished, he played basketball with the boy, letting him win their game.
The disabled student is very loving and likes to hug, which is just fine with me. But the teacher remarked that there is a class of behavior-problem children at the school, in what is called a "Success Program." The program is designed to help these children mainstream back into regular classes. The children have behavior problems for a variety of reasons....abuse, broken homes, etc.
One day the disabled student hugged one of the behavior-problem kids on the playground. It broke his heart when the child called him a "retard." Well, the disabled student's classmates quickly let that child know that they wouldn't tolerate anyone treating their friend that way.
The teacher related a sad story of one of the behavior-problem children, whose father had abandoned his mother when he was a baby. Within an 18-month time span recently, the boy's grandfather died, then his mother died in a house fire, and his brother drowned. He is now being raised by his grandmother. It's no wonder this child has behavior problems!
The third-grade classes today saw the "How to Take Better Pictures" video. It's a good video that appeals to children and has a lot of helpful information about taking pictures. I don't know how much the kids gained from the video, but I noticed the teachers were furiously taking notes.
During the lunch hour, Hubbie and I delivered the cameras from the morning session to the one-hour service at the pharmacy store, thinking they could get started working on them. But when we took the second batch to the store after school, we learned that a staff member had called in sick, so the work didn't get done. However a couple of staff were to work on them this evening.
After delivering the cameras to the pharmacy this afternoon, we went to an office supply store to buy both black and white poster boards for upcoming projects at the school. I asked if the school could provide poster board, but the teacher thought there might only be white, and she wasn't sure how much of that was available.
We were back home around 4 p.m. Later, we had a supper of boiled chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and English peas. Mother went home afterward, and Hubbie and I watched TV, including the movie, "Too Late to Say Goodbye." The movie, rated PG-14, is based on a book by Ann Rule, and is the true story of murder and betrayal. It's a 2009 Lifetime Movie Channel feature starring Rob Lowe, whose character, Bart Corbin, a dentist, is suspected of a double homicide (his wife, and a former girlfriend).
After that, we watched this week's second episode of "Dancing with the Stars,"followed by an episode of "Lost."
Note: we were a bit taken aback yesterday when someone in the school administrative office announced over the loudspeaker that the teachers were to meet in the "liberry" after school.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Monday, April 19
We were up before 6:30 this morning. Skipped my exercises, of course, as I will all week, because I'm doing a photography workshop at a local school.
We arrived at the school around 8:30 to set up for classes. My contact at the school was unavailable, so another staff member had to help us get maintenance stuff out of the supply room (we thought this would be done before we got there).
Two of the young teachers with whom I'm working this week were unaware how we were to handle the situation of where I would do the workshop...would I move from classroom to classroom, or could a room be found where I could set up so classes could come to me? Since I am working with trays of chemicals and have multiple totes of stuff for the workshop, it became obvious to the teachers that it wasn't feasible for me to move from class to class.
They found me a science room that is ideal, except that the supply room/darkroom is quite a way down the hall. I'll just have to deal with that. In order for me to have this room, the teacher who usually uses the room had to move to the art room. "That's okay," he joked, "I'm always the redheaded stepchild here."
He was much more pleasant about having his space usurped than was the maintenance guy, who complained unhappily to Hubbie about our rolling carts of supplies out into the hall so I could set up a darkroom. He felt we should have been put in another room way-y-y-y down the hall. Staff disagreed, so maintenance guy had to find another place to house his supplies for the week.
He was none too happy, either, when he learned he needed to bring a dozen more chairs into the room. But he did it.
The first 40-minute morning session was going along smoothly, until one of the girls jumped up and bolted from the room, upchucking all the way. There was a lot of groaning and ew-w-w-ing among the students, but we ploughed on as Hubbie used paper towels to cover the mess.
When we got ready to go outdoors to make sunprints, I grabbed the doorknob and, you guessed it, got a handful of the mess. While the students marched down the hall and outdoors, I rushed in the opposite direction to the bathroom to scour my hand.
In the meantime, a teacher had alerted the maintenance guy to come clean up the mess. I met him in the hallway. He glowered at me as we passed. Obviously, I'm making his life miserable.
I was surprised when I went out to join the students that the weather had turned sharply cooler, and there was a chill wind. The teachers and the kids were under dressed in summer clothes...capris, shorts and t-shirts. Hubbie and I wore knit shirts with long-sleeved shirts over them, so we were comfortable enough.
The 80-minute fifth grade class came in next, and we successfully completed sunprints, and then watched a video on how to take better pictures. After that I discussed one-time-use cameras, and what kinds of images to look for in a photo safari to the playground tomorrow.
Then it was time to come home for lunch and take care of Shih Tzu. Mother spent the day here, just in case something was needed. She had prepared a lunch of homemade tomato soup and deli turkey sandwiches for us, because we had only 45 minutes to travel the 10 miles home, eat, take care of Shih Tzu, and return to the school. But we did it with a few minutes to spare.
The second fifth-grade class began a few minutes after 12:50. We repeated the sunprint and video session, which was supposed to end at 2 p.m. But since this was only a 70-minute class, the teacher held them over a few minutes until I could complete a short lecture on camera use.
The last class of the day was third-graders, who did not show up at the appointed 2:15 hour. After time dragged on to 2:30, I became worried and went in search of the teacher. She was in her classroom, unaware that she was to bring her class to the science room. The other two teachers failed to let her know our plan, I guess. So she was waiting for me, and I was waiting for her.
Since our time had now been cut to about 25 minutes, I hurried to get them through the project. There was no time to explain anything or relate what we were doing to their studies on light. We just quickly got their design onto photography paper and hurried them outdoors. We finished at 3 p.m., just in time for them to line up for the school buses.
Hopefully tomorrow will be smoother.
We were back home around 4 p.m. Mother had heated the leftover pork roast and veggies for supper. She went home afterward, and Hubbie and I collapsed in front of TV.
First we watched the movie "Secrets of the Mountain." A public defender single mother takes her kids (two of whom are teens) to a mountain cabin she inherited from her uncle and end up embarking on an adventure that changes their relationships with each other. A family movie thriller.
Finished the evening with "Dancing with the Stars."
We arrived at the school around 8:30 to set up for classes. My contact at the school was unavailable, so another staff member had to help us get maintenance stuff out of the supply room (we thought this would be done before we got there).
Two of the young teachers with whom I'm working this week were unaware how we were to handle the situation of where I would do the workshop...would I move from classroom to classroom, or could a room be found where I could set up so classes could come to me? Since I am working with trays of chemicals and have multiple totes of stuff for the workshop, it became obvious to the teachers that it wasn't feasible for me to move from class to class.
They found me a science room that is ideal, except that the supply room/darkroom is quite a way down the hall. I'll just have to deal with that. In order for me to have this room, the teacher who usually uses the room had to move to the art room. "That's okay," he joked, "I'm always the redheaded stepchild here."
He was much more pleasant about having his space usurped than was the maintenance guy, who complained unhappily to Hubbie about our rolling carts of supplies out into the hall so I could set up a darkroom. He felt we should have been put in another room way-y-y-y down the hall. Staff disagreed, so maintenance guy had to find another place to house his supplies for the week.
He was none too happy, either, when he learned he needed to bring a dozen more chairs into the room. But he did it.
The first 40-minute morning session was going along smoothly, until one of the girls jumped up and bolted from the room, upchucking all the way. There was a lot of groaning and ew-w-w-ing among the students, but we ploughed on as Hubbie used paper towels to cover the mess.
When we got ready to go outdoors to make sunprints, I grabbed the doorknob and, you guessed it, got a handful of the mess. While the students marched down the hall and outdoors, I rushed in the opposite direction to the bathroom to scour my hand.
In the meantime, a teacher had alerted the maintenance guy to come clean up the mess. I met him in the hallway. He glowered at me as we passed. Obviously, I'm making his life miserable.
I was surprised when I went out to join the students that the weather had turned sharply cooler, and there was a chill wind. The teachers and the kids were under dressed in summer clothes...capris, shorts and t-shirts. Hubbie and I wore knit shirts with long-sleeved shirts over them, so we were comfortable enough.
The 80-minute fifth grade class came in next, and we successfully completed sunprints, and then watched a video on how to take better pictures. After that I discussed one-time-use cameras, and what kinds of images to look for in a photo safari to the playground tomorrow.
Then it was time to come home for lunch and take care of Shih Tzu. Mother spent the day here, just in case something was needed. She had prepared a lunch of homemade tomato soup and deli turkey sandwiches for us, because we had only 45 minutes to travel the 10 miles home, eat, take care of Shih Tzu, and return to the school. But we did it with a few minutes to spare.
The second fifth-grade class began a few minutes after 12:50. We repeated the sunprint and video session, which was supposed to end at 2 p.m. But since this was only a 70-minute class, the teacher held them over a few minutes until I could complete a short lecture on camera use.
The last class of the day was third-graders, who did not show up at the appointed 2:15 hour. After time dragged on to 2:30, I became worried and went in search of the teacher. She was in her classroom, unaware that she was to bring her class to the science room. The other two teachers failed to let her know our plan, I guess. So she was waiting for me, and I was waiting for her.
Since our time had now been cut to about 25 minutes, I hurried to get them through the project. There was no time to explain anything or relate what we were doing to their studies on light. We just quickly got their design onto photography paper and hurried them outdoors. We finished at 3 p.m., just in time for them to line up for the school buses.
Hopefully tomorrow will be smoother.
We were back home around 4 p.m. Mother had heated the leftover pork roast and veggies for supper. She went home afterward, and Hubbie and I collapsed in front of TV.
First we watched the movie "Secrets of the Mountain." A public defender single mother takes her kids (two of whom are teens) to a mountain cabin she inherited from her uncle and end up embarking on an adventure that changes their relationships with each other. A family movie thriller.
Finished the evening with "Dancing with the Stars."
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Sunday, April 18
Slept late this morning, til 8 a.m., then did a treadmill session and resistance exercises. Mother came over while I was doing that and put a pork roast and veggies in the slow cooker. And Hubbie loaded the photography paraphernalia into the van.
Once I was ready for the day, I threw a load of laundry into the washer, and then, because the DVR is getting full, we watched the animated feature, "Shark Tales," with the voices of Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Peter Falk, and others. The characters learn lessons, like: accept others for what they are, not what you wish them to be, telling the truth is always best, and happiness can be found in your own backyard.
Later, Hubbie peeled potatoes, and I mashed them after they were cooked. We enjoyed our "community effort" lunch of roast with carrots and onions, potatoes and gravy, and individual cups of applesauce.
Mother went home after lunch, and Hubbie and I watched a few episodes of "Life," a nature series narrated by Oprah Winfrey from the Discovery Channel. Today's features were on birds, insects, and ocean life.
A little after 2 p.m., Mother came over, and we went to the college for a community concert. All ages, from junior high school students to senior citizens, make up the orchestra. The selections included, "Triumphal March from Aida," and a medley from "The Empire Strikes Back." There were a few bloopers and off notes, but overall it was fine, and it was a glorious spring afternoon for an outing. The concert lasted about an hour, and we were back home about 3:30.
I mixed more photography chemicals for the session this week, and then Hubbie and I fixed ourselves a supper of whole wheat pancakes (the pancakes were already cooked and in the freezer...just needed heating in the oven). For dessert, we shared an orange and prunes. Cups of decaf coffee completed the meal.
Later, we watched the movie, "Eye for and Eye," a 1996 R-rated film starring Sally Field, Ed Harris, and Kiefer Sutherland. A mother goes from depression to paranoia to obsession following the rape and murder of her teenage daughter. Her obsession takes a toll on her marriage. When the killer threatens her younger daughter after being released on a technicality, she decides to exert her own brand of justice.
The second feature we saw was, "The Air I Breathe," a 2007 film starring Forest Whitaker, Brendan Fraser, Andy Garcia, and Kevin Bacon. Rated "R" for violence, lots of language, partial nudity. The lives of four very different people are oddly intertwined. Suspense with twists.
Once I was ready for the day, I threw a load of laundry into the washer, and then, because the DVR is getting full, we watched the animated feature, "Shark Tales," with the voices of Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Peter Falk, and others. The characters learn lessons, like: accept others for what they are, not what you wish them to be, telling the truth is always best, and happiness can be found in your own backyard.
Later, Hubbie peeled potatoes, and I mashed them after they were cooked. We enjoyed our "community effort" lunch of roast with carrots and onions, potatoes and gravy, and individual cups of applesauce.
Mother went home after lunch, and Hubbie and I watched a few episodes of "Life," a nature series narrated by Oprah Winfrey from the Discovery Channel. Today's features were on birds, insects, and ocean life.
A little after 2 p.m., Mother came over, and we went to the college for a community concert. All ages, from junior high school students to senior citizens, make up the orchestra. The selections included, "Triumphal March from Aida," and a medley from "The Empire Strikes Back." There were a few bloopers and off notes, but overall it was fine, and it was a glorious spring afternoon for an outing. The concert lasted about an hour, and we were back home about 3:30.
I mixed more photography chemicals for the session this week, and then Hubbie and I fixed ourselves a supper of whole wheat pancakes (the pancakes were already cooked and in the freezer...just needed heating in the oven). For dessert, we shared an orange and prunes. Cups of decaf coffee completed the meal.
Later, we watched the movie, "Eye for and Eye," a 1996 R-rated film starring Sally Field, Ed Harris, and Kiefer Sutherland. A mother goes from depression to paranoia to obsession following the rape and murder of her teenage daughter. Her obsession takes a toll on her marriage. When the killer threatens her younger daughter after being released on a technicality, she decides to exert her own brand of justice.
The second feature we saw was, "The Air I Breathe," a 2007 film starring Forest Whitaker, Brendan Fraser, Andy Garcia, and Kevin Bacon. Rated "R" for violence, lots of language, partial nudity. The lives of four very different people are oddly intertwined. Suspense with twists.
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